Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 64452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
“Heather?” Nurse Simmons prompted when I didn’t move. “I’m waiting.”
“I… I’m not taking my clothes off,” I stammered, wrapping my arms around myself. “This is insane. You can’t make me—”
“Officer Martinez,” the nurse said without taking her eyes off me, “would you assist Mrs. Montgomery, please?”
“No!” I screamed as the large man stepped toward me, his hands reaching for the hem of my t-shirt. “Get away from me! Don’t touch me!”
I tried to back away, but there was nowhere to go in the small room. His hands were surprisingly gentle, but completely implacable as he grasped my shirt.
“Everything will be much easier if you remain calm, Heather,” Mrs. Chen said from her position by the doors, her voice maddeningly patient. “Fighting will only make this more difficult for everyone.”
“Stop!” I thrashed against Officer Martinez’s hold, but he was so much stronger than me. The fabric of my shirt tore as he pulled it over my head, and I felt tears streaming down my face as the cool air hit my bare skin. “Please, I’ll do it myself! Just stop!”
But he didn’t stop. His hands moved to my sweatpants next, and I sobbed as he pulled them down my legs, leaving me standing in nothing but my bra in front of these strangers.
“The bra too,” Nurse Simmons said calmly, as if she were discussing the weather.
“Please,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Please don’t make me do this.”
Officer Martinez’s hands moved to my bra clasp, and I felt something inside me shatter as the last of my clothing was removed. I stood there completely naked in the entrance of this sterile, corporate building—white walls, fluorescent lighting, and the kind of industrial carpeting that belonged in an office.
Nurse Simmons led the way down a corridor. After a helpless glance at Officer Martinez’s calm but stern face, I followed. As we walked I noticed subtle things, differences from an ordinary office building, that made my skin crawl. The hallways seemed wider than necessary, with reinforced doors that looked like they belonged in a medical facility. And there was something about the way our footsteps echoed that suggested the walls were thicker than they appeared, as if to muffle women’s cries of distress.
We stopped at a reception desk where a young woman with perfectly styled hair and a too-bright smile checked something on her computer. “Mrs. Ryan Montgomery,” she said, as if I were checking into a hotel, and it struck her as quite an ordinary thing that I should do it in the nude. “We’ve been expecting you. Dr. Hamelin is ready for your intake examination.”
The word examination sent a chill through me. “What kind of examination?”
“Just routine,” Nurse Simmons said, taking my arm with surprising gentleness. “We need to establish baseline measurements and ensure you’re in good health before we begin your program.”
Mrs. Chen stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder that felt more like a claim of ownership than comfort. “Officer Martinez and I will be leaving you in Nurse Simmons’ capable hands now,” she said, her voice carrying that same professional warmth that had made me want to scream during the entire van ride. “I have complete confidence that within a few days, you’ll be thanking Ryan for having the wisdom to enroll you in our program.”
“I’ll never thank him for this,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Never.”
“Oh, honey,” Mrs. Chen chuckled, the sound somehow both maternal and predatory. “I’ve heard that from dozens of young women over the years. They all say the same thing when they arrive. But you’d be surprised how quickly perspectives can change when you’re finally getting what you truly need.”
She turned to Nurse Simmons. “Her husband’s preferences should already be uploaded to the system. I suspect he’ll be quite thorough—he struck me as the type who takes his responsibilities seriously once he understands them.”
My stomach dropped. Ryan’s preferences. What had he agreed to? What had he authorized them to do to me?
“Excellent,” Nurse Simmons replied, making a note on her tablet. “Dr. Hamelin will be grateful for the free rein.”
Free rein. My heart started to race. What did free rein mean, here?
Mrs. Chen tapped something on her handheld, then looked up at me. “Remember, Heather,” she said, fixing me with those calculating eyes one last time, “resistance only makes the process more difficult. The sooner you accept what you are, the sooner you can begin to make progress.”
With that, she was gone, clicking away down the hallway in her sensible heels with Officer Martinez walking beside her, leaving me alone with Nurse Simmons and the too-bright receptionist who was still typing away at her computer as if nothing unusual was happening.
“Shall we?” Nurse Simmons asked, gesturing toward a hallway that led deeper into the building.
I didn’t move. I couldn’t. My legs felt like they were made of lead, and every instinct I had was screaming at me to run, even though I knew there was nowhere to go.